The use of unitized attic stair structures is known per se. Typically, they are pre-fabricated units which include a stairwell frame which is secured to the floor joist of an attic floor at the level of the attic floor and the ceiling of the living quarters beneath the attic. A ladder, often in three sections which are hinged to each other end-to-end, is so arranged with respect to a closure panel that may be swung in and out of closed position within the stairwell frame. Thus, when it is desired to enter the attic, the panel is swung downward with respect to the stairwell frame, and the ladder is extended to the floor level of the living quarters floor. By this means, access to the attic may be gained readily, without the necessity of a permanently positioned stair arrangement which limits or otherwise compromises the living quarters portion of the structure for other purposes. In the pre-fabricated form, such stair units are usually shipped from the factory in standard corrugated cartons. While adequate for normal shipping circumstances, such cartons do not provide a desired extra margin of protection for the rather intricate structure which it contains.
Further, the stairwell units themselves, when positioned in place for access to the attic portion of a house, for example, can, by their very nature, provide only limited thermal barrier features, and thus are a source of substantial heat loss into the attic area. This is because substantially all of the inhibition of free heat loss, as in a standard open stairwell, is provided by the closure panel, which is typically a sheet of plywood. Due to the intricacies of the stair, spring, and suspension members associated with the entire mechanism, as a practical matter, it is difficult or impossible to substantially totally eliminate heat loss through the panel or around its peripheral edges, while preserving the ability for easy ingress and egress and not substantially disfiguring the appearance of the living quarters section of the house.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide improved packaging means for pre-fabricated building structure units.
A further object is to provide such means for use with such units where the units characteristically present heat-loss disadvantages after installation.
Another object is to provide means for achieving the foregoing objects which may be utilized to effect thermal insulation advantages in conjunction with the installation of such units.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a means for effecting improved packaging, which may also be utilized to effect thermal insulation advantages; all in accordance with the foregoing.